The Adventures of Tintin DVD 2011 The Secret of the Unicorn / Directed by Steven Spielberg / Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost

UPC 5014437165039

REGION 2 PAL DVD

MADE IN THE UK

AUDIO: English 5.1

SUBTITLES: English, English SDH

Total Runtime: 102 minutes

English Summary:

The Adventures of Tintin (also known as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) is a 2011 3D computer-animated action-adventure film based on the comic book series of the same name by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, co-produced by Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy, written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, and starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, who portray their characters through voice acting and motion capture.  Inspired by three volumes of the Tintin series - The Crab with the Golden Claws (1941), The Secret of the Unicorn (1943) and Red Rackham's Treasure (1944) - its plot follows the reporter Tintin (Bell), his dog Snowy and their accomplice Captain Haddock (Serkis) as they search for the treasure of the Unicorn, a ship captained by Haddock's ancestor Sir Francis Haddock; they are pursued by Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Craig), the descendant of Sir Haddock's rival Red Rackham.

In 1930s Brussels, while browsing in an outdoor market with his pet dog Snowy, young journalist Tintin purchases a miniature model of a ship known as the Unicorn, but is accosted by an Interpol officer named Barnaby and a ship collector named Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, who both unsuccessfully attempt to get the model from Tintin. After Tintin takes the model home to his apartment, it gets accidentally broken during a chase between Snowy and a cat; a parchment scroll slips out of the ship and rolls under a piece of Tintin's furniture. Meanwhile, bumbling police detectives Thomson and Thompson are on the trail of pickpocket Aristides Silk.

After visiting Maritime Library to uncover the history surrounding the Unicorn, Tintin returns to find the Unicorn has been stolen, to which he suspects Sakharine. He heads to Marlinspike Hall where he accuses him of the theft, but noticing Sakharine's model is not broken, he realizes there are two Unicorn models. Returning to his apartment (to find it ransacked), Tintin is shown the scroll by Snowy, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Barnaby, who is then assassinated while attempting to recover the Unicorn.

Voice cast:

• Jamie Bell as Tintin. Bell replaced Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who dropped out when filming was delayed in October 2008. Jackson suggested Bell to take on the role after previously casting him as Jimmy in his King Kong remake.^[17]
• Andy Serkis as Captain Archibald Haddock and Sir Francis Haddock.^[18] Spielberg suggested Serkis, given he played Gollum in Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in the 2005 remake, which were both roles requiring motion capture, and also because he considers Serkis a "great and funny actor".^[19] Serkis joked he was concerned Jackson wanted him to play Tintin's dog, Snowy,^[20] who was animated traditionally, i.e., without motion capture.^[21] Serkis remarked upon reading the comics again for the role that they had a surreal Pythonesque quality.^[22] The actor researched seamen, and gave Haddock a Scottish accent as he felt the character had "a rawness, an emotional availability, a more Celtic kind of feel".^[19]
• Daniel Craig as Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, the main antagonist and descendant of Red Rackham; and Red Rackham the pirate who attacked the Unicorn, the ship captained by Sir Francis Haddock.^[15] Spielberg described Sakharine as a "champagne villain, cruel when he has to be but with a certain elegance to him." Jackson and Spielberg decided to promote Sakharine from a relatively minor character to the villain, and while considering an "interesting actor" to portray him, Spielberg came up with Craig, with whom he had worked on Munich. Craig joked he followed "the English tradition of playing bad guys".
• Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as Thomson and Thompson respectively, bumbling police detectives who are almost identical. The duo was invited out of necessity to have a comedy team that could act identical.^[19] Spielberg invited Pegg to the set and offered him the role after he had completed How to Lose Friends & Alienate People.^[23] Pegg had previously starred alongside Serkis in John Landis' Burke & Hare, in 2010.
• Toby Jones as Aristides Silk, a pickpocket and self-proclaimed kleptomaniac.^[18][24]
• Daniel Mays as Allan, Captain Haddock's first mate.^[25]
• Mackenzie Crook as Tom, a thug on the Karaboudjan.
• Gad Elmaleh as Omar ben Salaad, an Arab potentate.^[18] Elmaleh stated his accent was "the childhood coming back".^[19]
• Enn Reitel as Nestor, Sakharine's butler; and Mr. Crabtree, a vendor who sells the Unicorn to Tintin.
• Tony Curran as Lieutenant Delcourt, an ally of Tintin.^[26]
• Joe Starr as Barnaby Dawes, an Interpol agent who tries to warn Tintin about purchasing the Unicorn and ends up being shot by Sakharine's thugs on Tintin's doorstep.
• Kim Stengel as Bianca Castafiore, a comical opera singer. While Castafiore was absent from the three stories, Jackson stated she was added for her status as an "iconic character" and because she would be a fun element of the plot.^[19] Renée Fleming provides the singing voice for Castafiore.
• Sonje Fortag as Mrs. Finch, Tintin's landlady.
• Cary Elwes and Phillip Rhys as French seaplane pilots working for Sakharine.
• Ron Bottitta as Unicorn Lookout.
• Mark Ivanir as Afgar Outpost Soldier/Secretary.
• Sebastian Roché as Pedro/1st Mate.
• Nathan Meister as a market artist who bears the resemblance of Hergé.
• Sana Etoile as a Press Reporter.